IIP figures capture healthy pharma output

Thanks to the manufacturing sector, industrial production growth zoomed to a 17-month high of 8.4 per cent in November 2017. The group - manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemicals and botanical products - has shown the highest positive growth of 39.5 per cent, followed by 29.1 per cent in computer, electronic and optical products, and 22.6 per cent in manufacture of other transport equipment. Shares in these sectors will remain in focus.